Books for Cooks: Get yourself in the kitchen

This is my thirteenth year of writing Books for Cooks for the Saratogian, and for this edition – and during 2014 – we’ve seen an increase in plant-based and vegan cooking, international chef-authored books, as well as a focus of bringing the family together around the table. Most cookbook authors have a particular expertise, or work as a chef, while others are accomplished self-taught cooks with a great idea. The goal for most, though, is to get more people into the kitchen. And if you’re wandering around beautiful downtown Saratoga Springs, visit the extensive cookbook selection at Northshire Bookstore – they have expert staff dedicated to assisting you with your holiday selections for everyone on your list.

Farmers’ Market, Vegetarian & Vegan

While this first recommendation isn’t focused on just vegetables, it is all about cooking with farm-sourced ingredients. Written by Gabrielle Langholtz, an award-winning writer and the editor of Edible Manhattan magazine, Langholtz brings “The New Greenmarket Cookbook” (DaCapo Press, $25) with recipes and tips from some of the finest chefs (and producers), and the stories behind the farms that provide the inspiration. Try the springtime Sugar Snap Pea and Whipped Ricotta Tartines by Dana Cowin, Food & Wine’s Editor, beautiful Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki and Arugula from Karen Weinberg at Washington County’s 3-Corner Field Farm, or a wintertime Wine-Brined Brisket by notable Jimmy Carbone of Jimmy’s No. 43.

Over in Schoharie County’s Sharon Springs you’ll find Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, founders of Beekman 1802, an organic lifestyle brand based around their 60-acres farm. With “The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook: 100 Delicious Heritage Recipes From the Farm and Garden” (Rodale, $32.50), you’ll find a ‘vegetable-forward’ (there are meat, poultry and fish recipes) theme. Flavorful recipes like Jerusalem Artichoke Pancakes, Rhubarb Soda Floats, Root Vegetable Hash with Pancetta and Pecorino and Chicken Cacciatore a la 1802 and lovely photography will make this a favorite for many seasons.

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Take a long look at Aglaia Kremezi’s “Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $35), even if you’re a meat lover. These plant-based seasonal dishes provide an arsenal of master recipes inspired by eastern Mediterranean and north African flavors, whether feta skillet pies made with spinach and herb, a hearty Tunisian chickpea soup or a classic caponata with eggplant, olives and capers.

A name long-time synonymous with vegetarian cooking, Deborah Madison brings you “The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” (Ten Speed, $40) an updated version with greater emphasis on tempeh rather than tofu, and designations for more vegan options. Adding ingredients like farro, smoked paprika and smoked salt, curry leaves and coconut oil, along with dairy substitutes, this book only improves on the perfect classic.

Spirits Merry and Bright

Becky Sue Epstein’s “Brandy: A Global History” (Reaktion Books, $19.95), is part of a series of small-format, single subject food volumes. This spirit that’s made from distilled wine has been produced and consumed from the Middle Ages, with many varieties that include Cognac and Armagnac. Brandy can be served neat or in classic cocktails like the creamy Brandy Alexander, a Horse’s Neck or Sidecar, and even has medicinal uses. Because of these medicinal uses, cognac was the only liquor that could be imported during the US Prohibition. This book joins others in the series with a food focus like Figs, Rice, Lobster, Potato, Bread, etc. and those in the beverage category like Champagne, Gin, and Whisky. New titles are released annually – and they’re the perfect size for a stocking stuffer.

“Sherry: A Modern Guide to The Wine World’s Best-Kept Secret with Cocktails and Recipes” by Talia Baiocchi (Ten Speed Press, $25) showcases this versatile wine that for centuries, was considered one of the world’s greats, and is now, in a renaissance. With recommendations for top producers and best bodegas you’ll also find great recipes for drinks as well as food preparations and pairings. This editor-in-chief of online drinks and culture magazine ‘Punch’ and former columnist at the ‘Wine Spectator’, Baiocchi offers up a list of her Essential Sherries and Sherry-friendly cocktail bars.

“Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails” by David Kaplan, Nick Fauchald and Alex Day pays homage to its East Village namesake, one of the consistently ranked top ten bars in the world since its opening. Amateur or expert will learn from this comprehensive collection of the bar’s best drinks; you can get an entire cocktail education. With a section on tools and other ingredients that make a great bar and recipes for making nearly 500 drinks, this might just replace your “Old Mr. Boston” for its chapters on theory and philosophy of drink-making – the authors even give you a list of the favorites that are on their bookshelf.

Around the World

If you’re a fan of Middle Eastern cooking, there are a couple of cookbooks out this year worth your time. “Olives, Lemons & Za’atar: The Best Middle Eastern Home Cooking” by Rawia Bishara (Kyle Books, $30) is based on Chef Bishara’s offerings at her much-acclaimed Brooklyn restaurant Tanoreen. Stunning photography accompanies enticing recipes and stories. Joumana Accad’s “Taste of Beirut” (HCI Books, $19) combines Mediterranean flavors with global influences – Accad grew up in Beirut, has lived in Paris and the United States, and has even worked in a German restaurant. She returned to Beirut to write this cookbook with variations on classics like hummus to falafel loaf, and kibbeh as well as pomegranate and milk pudding.

“Mexico the Cookbook” by Margarita Carrillo Arronte (Phaidon, $49.95) is sure to be your comprehensive go-to cookbook for Mexican home cooking. Arronte, one of Mexico’s most respected in the culinary world, this leader of the Slow Food Movement in Baja offers up 650 authentic recipes from regional snacks and street food to drinks and desserts.

With a foreword by Alice Waters, Darina Allen brings “30 Years at Ballymaloe: a Celebration of the World-Renowned Cookery School with over 100 New Recipes” (Kyle, $35). As Ireland’s best-known food ambassador, a television personality and a bestselling author, Allen is legendary for her culinary expertise in this tribute to the 100-acre farm on which her cooking school is situated. With great recipes, you’ll also learn about foraging and fishing – all with the Irish knack for telling a story.

As part of publisher Ten Speed Press’s best-selling slow cooker series, Neela Paniz brings “The New Indian Slow Cooker” (Ten Speed, $20) with more than 60 fix-it-and-forget-it recipes for favorite curries, chutneys, biryanis and more. A native of Bombay, this restaurant owner and winning ‘Chopped’ contestant, brings you three decades of cooking experience and extensive knowledge of Indian cuisine in both classic and innovative recipes.

Chef-Inspired

If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, one of the best parts of the shift is the family (staff) meal. “Eating with the Chefs: Family Meals from the World’s Most Creative Restaurants” by Per-Anders Jorgensen (Phaidon, $60) offers some fabulous and easy-to-make recipes from 18 top-rated restaurants like Noma, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Chez Panisse, The French Laundry, and wd-50, all hand-picked by the author for their unique staff meal traditions that develop a team and encourage friendships.

“North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland” by Gunnar Karl Gislason and Jody Eddy (Ten Speed, $40) is an up-close look at Iceland’s captivating food scene with indigenous ingredients and a creative chef. Chef Gislason‘s debut in 2009 with his Dill restaurant coincided with Iceland’s banking collapse – but he’s persevered, and built his dream that honors and showcases Iceland’s culinary heritage to international acclaim. This book serves double duty – on your coffee table and in your kitchen.

Yotam Ottolenghi is back with “Plenty More” (Ten Speed, $35) and here you can judge a book by its cover. This lauded London-based chef has been sharing his vegi-Renaissance using tantalizing ingredients with texture and vibrant colors. Bringing out the very best flavors – whether braising lettuce or roasting lemons – he champions vegetables, grains and legumes in recipes like root vegetable pies and ricotta fritters with orange and honey.

Family Time

You could be reading Jenny Rosenstrach’s “Dinner the Playbook” (Ballantine, $20) on the subway or keep it at your desk – it’s a smart way to keep the dinner menu rotation out of the pasta, pizza burgers rut. Creator of the blog and book, “Dinner, a Love Story” you get her weekly meal plans for a month, with organizing tips and kid-vetted recipes. Even if you only get through a week of recipes, it’s an inspired start.

The annual round-up of Books for Cooks wouldn’t be complete without a Mark Bittman offering and “How to Cook Everything Fast” (Houghton Mifflin, $35) gives those with busy schedules some short-cuts and game plans for becoming a more intuitive cook, and how to work kitchen time into your daily routine with his trademark commonsense advice.

“The Family Cooks” by Laurie David (Rodale, $28) was devised to give parents a roadmap to establish healthful eating habits. Celebrating the flavors and colors of each season, you’ll find clever recipes for ravioli cupcakes, oven-grilled corn, salmon coconut curry with vegetables and crispy tofu and broccoli stir-fry – with a section on DIY condiments and prep that can be done on Sundays for the week ahead – even if you don’t have children, you’ll appreciate this book by the award-winning documentarian of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’.

“Food, Family and Tradition: Hungarian Kosher Family Recipes and Remembrances” by Lynn Kirsche Shapiro (The Cherry Press, $35) is a celebration of the resilience of Holocaust survivors through their stories and food. More than 150 original recipes from potato kugel to brisket to plum preserves, blintzes, and honey cake, this book looks at the strong family traditions and the richness of Jewish life in Eastern Europe prior to the Holocaust.

Food is Fun

Judith Jones, a longtime editor at Knopf, is known for her work with Julia Child as well as other notables like James Beard, Lidia Bastianich, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis, Joan Nathan and Jacques Pepin. Now, her “Love Me, Feed Me” (Knopf, $24.95) shows you how to cook for man’s best friend, explaining the nutritional benefits of supplementing or substituting store bought kibble with home-prepared ingredients – and heartfelt stories of life with her own dogs.

“Food Truck Road Trip: A Cookbook” by Kim Pham and Philip Shen (Page Street Publishing, $22) takes you on a road trip coast to coast, eating from the best street food vendors, sampling cuisines as diverse as the melting pot of America, whether Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies from La Bella Torte in New York or Sam’s Famous Lobster Roll from Sam’s Chowdermobile in Half Moon Bay, California.

Food Writing takes center stage with “Best Food Writing 2014” edited by Holly Hughes (Da Capo Press, $16) in this collection that is as much about food as it is people. Hughes has been editing this series since its inception in 2000, and in this rendition you’ll find something for everyone in pieces by notables like Dan Barber, Frank Bruni, Monica Bhide and Adam Gopnik.

Just Desserts

Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere” (Houghton Mifflin, $40) will be one of those instant hits and classics for your kitchen library. With nearly two decades of living in France, Greenspan has assembled treats from the 17th century (frozen chocolate mousse and profiteroles) to her own creations like a Gingerbread Buche de Noel, just in time for holiday preparations. You’ll never go wrong with this expert voice, inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.

“Let Us All Eat Cake: Gluten-free Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Cakes” by Catherine Ruehle (Ten Speed, $25), shows you how to recreate classic cakes, cupcakes and other sweet treats with recipes modified for a gluten-free diet. You’ll also find modifications offered for vegan, sugar-free, dairy-free and nut-free diets.

You know you’d like to know how to make the Cronut, the croissant-donut hybrid that had everyone standing in line for hours? In one of the most anticipated cookbooks of the year, Dominique Ansel’s “The Secret Recipes” (Simon & Schuster, $35) you’ll get more than the famous pastry creation with recipes that help you bring bakery expertise into your own kitchen, whether amateur or professional. One of the most beautiful books with some very charming stories, you’ll see the soul of the chef – and the magic he makes in New York, the city he now calls home.